Overtures
by FireAndFury
Summary: Definition: Introductions to something more. Series of back-in-the-day oneshots. Mostly Jibbs (I can't seem to write anything else...yay...) but also some team antics because why not.
1. Introduction

**A/N: So I've never written any back-in-the-day fics but I've read a ton that are absolutely brilliant (I cried… I snorted/laughed… thrown a pillow… you get the picture) and thought I might give it a try. There should be about twelve chapters/oneshots in total (the longest I've ever tried to write so please bare with me lol) and are mostly Jibbs (I need to learn how to write something else). Special thanks once again to **_**pockethuman**_ **for beta-reading all of them, providing advice, and verbally slapping me upside the head when I needed it. Also, thanks to everyone who's taken the time to leave a review in previous stories; I'm hugging you all in my mind right now lol**

**Disclaimer: That's right, I own NOTHING. We good now? Great.**

**Happy reading!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Head-slaps**

* * *

"What're you still doing here, Jen?"

Jenny Shepard grit her teeth at the nickname and counted to five silently in French. She'd told him to call her 'Jenny' or 'Shepard'. That was it. But was he able to follow such a simple request? Nope.

Everyone else had left for the night; Stan claimed he had a hot date to impress, Will mumbled something about a bar, and Ducky rushed home to make sure his mother hadn't burnt his house to the ground. She thought Gibbs had left too, but clearly she was wrong.

"Something doesn't seem right about the case."

He leaned over her shoulder to squint at her computer screen. She wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for but didn't have the chance to ask as he promptly pressed the little power button at the bottom of the monitor.

"Hey! I was looking for something!"

"We solved this one."

"But-"

He tapped the back of her skull and she stared at him slack-jawed, her eyes wide in shock.

"Rule 11: when the job is done, walk away."

Her surprise quickly turned into indignance. She leaned back in her chair and delivered a swift _whack_ to the back of his head, much harder than the one he'd given her. He turned and glared at her. She merely raised her eyebrows challengingly.

"Am I supposed to write these down?"

He rubbed the back of his head, his hair sticking up in all directions, and his voice dropped dangerously. "No. My job is to teach them to you. You listen and you learn."

"Fine."

His glare turned into a small smile and her head tilted slightly in confusion.

He made his way over to his desk and she turned her computer back on. She heard him shuffling through filing cabinets and peeked over the top of her monitor.

"What're you doing?"

"Ordering take out. You want any?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Aren't you supposed to be at home making sure your shrew of an ex-wife doesn't steal anything while she packs?"

He shrugged. "Nothing worth stealing."

She walked over and leaned against his desk. "What're we having?"

"Szechuan House." He smirked up at her.

She rolled her eyes. "At least it's not pizza."

"So, you want anything?"

"Cashew chicken and an order of potstickers?"

He nodded and called in their order.

"It'll be here in twenty."

"How much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about it."

She smiled slightly and brushed her hair behind her ears. "Thanks."

He grunted, the acknowledgment mumbled under his breath.

She walked back over to her computer and gracefully reclined in the creaky office chair. "This is sad."

"Why…?"

"We're two decent people who are choosing to spend they're Friday night at work instead of out socializing like normal human beings."

"I am socializing."

She gave him a look like he was kidding.

"You're here and food's about to be." He shrugged. "Socializing."

She threw a wad of paper at him and shook her head in amusement while he laughed. She wasn't sure how her night of brooding over a case had turned into a meal between coworkers but she wasn't about to complain. She was actually surprised that they both seemed to be enjoying themselves. Maybe being on Gibbs team wasn't going to be as painful as she'd originally thought.

"Hell of a head-slap, Jen."

His comment brought her out of her musing and she smiled slightly behind her screen. Suddenly, the little nickname didn't bother her so much.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Paintball**

* * *

"I've had it with you three acting like children!"

The three agents in question looked properly chastised; all of them refused to make eye contact with both Decker and Shepard glaring menacingly at Burley when Gibbs wasn't staring directly at them.

"What do you have to say for yourselves?!"

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Well, Gibbs, we'd probably grovel and apologize if you didn't have a rule against it."

"Cut the snark, Jenny." Decker's glare shifted from Stan to the female agent. "We're already in enough hot water without you adding your two cents to the mess!"

"We wouldn't be in this mess if Burley hadn't put a spider in my desk!"

"You didn't have to put me on the ground and hold your gun to me!"

She raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow, her words coming out in a hiss. "Didn't I? And you," her hard stare met Decker's, "you're no less at fault than I am! Just yesterday you put him in a chokehold because he took the last _Snickers_ bar from the stash in your desk drawer that you've deemed to be "top secret"!"

"I was hungry!"

"It was as the LAST ONE!"

"ALL OF YOU SHUT UP BEFORE I HAVE YOUR HIDES SHIPPED TO PARRIS ISLAND FOR BASIC TRAINING!"

They all continued to moodily glare at each other.

Chris Pacci's head popped up over the cubicle divider. "Hey Gibbs, I've got an idea."

Gibbs stared at him warily. Not that he didn't trust Pacci, he just found his ideas a bit… well, eccentric.

"Paintball. You guys need to let off some steam, probably at each other. I know a place not to far from here we could go to if you're game?"

All things considered, he was right. Maybe that was just the solution. He gave the younger agent a slow nod.

Pacci looked surprised but quickly recovered. "Um okay, great! How about tomorrow morning?"

"But Gibbs, that's a Satur-"

"I can't, my mo-"

"I don't wanna!"

"QUIET!" He glared at his agents. "We're going and that's final! Pacci," his gaze never wavered from the three, "how many players we need?"

"Um… six? We usually play with more but that's the minimum."

Gibbs cursed under his breath.

"Ah Jethro! I just discovered the most curious cause of death for our young Mr. Carter. Yes, I dare say the poor boy drowned in what I've found to be gasoline. Reminds me of a fellow I'd once come across in my- Jethro, why do you look as though you're plotting something?"

Gibbs smirked. "Hey Duck, how'd you like to take a few shots at the children who consider themselves federal agents?"

Jenny snorted her disdain.

Ducky glanced cautiously at the team behind him. "Live rounds?"

"Paintballs."

The medical examiner immediately brightened. "Not life-threatening then! I'd love to join!"

Burley's groan and Gibbs' nod of approval was all the response he'd received.

* * *

The field was technically more of a wooded area. Tall cedar trees stretched above them creating a sort of canopy and dead leaves were scattered about the forest floor. Different plywood structures were set up against the trunks of the trees with two large wooden, almost hunting blind-like, towers placed at either end of the field. Five agents and a medical examiner stood at the edge; all holding face masks and armed with a standard black, slightly worn and dirty paintball guns filled with bright pink paintballs.

"We split up into two teams: Pacci and I will be captains. Pacci, this was your idea; you choose first."

The shorter man seemed to think for a moment, his index finger wedged between his front teeth. "Will."

The agent smirked.

"Shepard. You're with me."

"Gibbs only wants you on his team because he likes to watch your six, Red!"

Burley was appropriately flipped off by an annoyed junior agent.

"You're on my team, Stan."

He went and smugly stood next to Pacci.

"Duck, that means you're on our team."

The Scotsman was practically giddy.

"That settles it then!" Pacci clapped his hands together and grinned. "Gibbs, how about your team stays on this end and we'll go to the far side."

He didn't wait for an answer before sprinting off to the other side of the arena, Decker and Burley not too far off his tail. Gibbs' lips slowly rose to a smirk. He tilted his head slightly to glance at his teammates, "how long do you think it'll take for them to lose?"

Jenny's smirk matched his. "I give them twenty minutes tops."

"Oh come now, Jennifer," the medical examiner tutted, "you must give us more credit than that." He was bouncing on the balls of his feet as he placed his mask over his face. "I give them ten!" And with that, he rushed off into the trees to hide.

Gibbs turned his full attention to the redhead at his side, "shall we?"

Jenny's eyes gleamed with mischief before lowering the mask to cover her face. "We shall."

The sound of an air horn blasted in the distance: let the game begin.

* * *

Ducky's prediction wasn't that far off; it only took twelve minutes for Pacci's team to yield defeat. The younger agent's team looked worse for wear; Will's left shoulder, Pacci's sternum, and Stan's… well most of Stan's torso were covered in the bright pink paint. Gibbs' team wasn't as bad, but still didn't make it out without a scratch. The side of Jenny's left thigh and shoulder as well as Ducky's right hip and arm were sporting the obnoxious color as well. Not shocking anyone, Gibbs was the only one without a drop of paint on him.

"How was that fair?!"

Decker sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes. "We picked players, Stan. It was fair."

"I'll admit, Jenny was able to take a decent shot when I wasn't looking," the redhead grinned smugly at Pacci, "but I still don't get how Ducky managed to cover you in almost a bucket of paint."

"You all seem to forget that I did serve in Her Majesty's Forces. Not to mention, Stanley, that you had just opened fire on Jennifer. I was merely defending her honor."

"I don't need anyone to defend my honor, Ducky," she leaned over to give him a quick peck on the cheek, "but thank you."

"Face it, Red," Burley's arm quickly came around her shoulders and he squeezed her tightly, "I gotcha good. You didn't see it coming!"

The next thing he knew, he was doubled over in pain; hands covering his crotch as he fell to the ground with a loud yelp.

Jenny smirked, "and you didn't see _that _coming."

Will snickered. "Nice one, Shep."

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "You three still acting like children?"

"Depends. Did you manage to snipe Will from thirty yards away?"

"Of course he did! He's the only one who came out clean!"

A splat of neon paint smeared itself across Gibbs's torso.

"Oh crap…" All eyes turned to the youngest agent, her finger still resting over the trigger and a dangerous glint in her emerald orbs.

"You'll pay for that, Shepard…" he growled.

She took off running, laughing madly with Gibbs following not far behind her. Will slapped his face mask on once again and helped Stan to his feet.

"Round two everyone?"

* * *

**A/N: This was actually this first idea for this little series; something fun and lighthearted and wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it down *awkward laughter*. Hope you enjoyed! Special thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and/or followed; you guys rock**** :)**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Serial Killers**

* * *

How could it have gone so wrong? He knew the plan wasn't exactly foolproof, but Shepard had a good head on her shoulders. They'd performed a coms check approximately thirty-five minutes ago. Brock and Jeffries had confirmed their location. Shepard had not.

This was how Stan found himself trying to keep up with Gibbs as they ran through the thick foliage trying to find their newest agent.

She hadn't been with them long, about six months if he recalled correctly, and this was her first major case. Petty Officer Desiree Rivera had gone missing and they hadn't found her until a jogger discovered her body on a running trail in Wakefield, Virginia. She'd been bound to a tree, her arms tied above her head, tongue cut out, and a heart shaped cut carved into her back.

Kyle Boone's signature.

Virginia State Police, Capitol Police, and the FBI had managed to ID the serial killer but hadn't been able to find any leads on his whereabouts and now that he'd killed a United States Naval Officer, they were conducting a joint investigation. Something both Gibbs and the FBI were not happy about.

They'd been hunting him like a pack of bloodhounds for the past two weeks and had managed to narrow his location to his family farm; a property that'd been abandoned for almost a decade. They knew it was Boone, but they still didn't have enough evidence to convict him.

It was Fornell that suggested the setup. There were a few nature trails near the area and having a few female agents and officers wired and going for a jog at different times of the day were apparently the best plan they had at catching Boone in the act. Hopefully before any of them were hurt.

_She'll be okay. She has to be. _

He cursed under his breath for what seemed like the twentieth time in 30 minutes. His boss may be a few years older than him but he was certainly faster. He was also extremely pissed off.

Gibbs suddenly took a sharp right and came to a fast stop. Burley almost ran into him and was about to make some sort of snarky remark when his eyes landed on none other than Kyle Boone.

Stan raised his weapon to point at the man's chest while Gibbs aimed his directly at his skull.

"Give me a reason to shoot you."

Burley had never heard Gibbs' voice be so cold. Boone grinned at them both and Stan couldn't help the shiver that ran up his spine. He moved to Gibbs' left and had to physically restrain himself from shooting the man on sight. Jenny lay unconscious on the forest floor; her hands tied behind her back with rough rope, blood trickling from her temple, and only in her shorts and bra, one of the straps hanging loosely off of her shoulder.

"Aww… but then you'd miss the show!" The knife in his hand twirled dangerously and he noticed that Gibbs' knuckles had turned white as he gripped his gun. Boone walked slowly behind her and sat on the ground, resting a hand in her crimson hair and running the blade of the knife lightly across her lips. "I was just about to cut out her tongue… such a smart mouth on this one." He smirked. "She put up quite the fight too. I think she'll be my favorite plaything."

He saw Gibbs' finger twitch on the trigger.

"This place is surrounded by LEOs looking for you." Stan's voice felt far more calm than he was feeling. "There's no way you're getting out of this. You're leaving either in cuffs or a body bag. Your choice."

"So this tramp means something to you both then… interesting." Boone laughed lowly, "Personally, I'd prefer to have my way with her privately, but I suppose you two aren't willing to share her."

"Stop playing games, Boone." Gibbs snarled.

"Oh, but you see? The game has only just begun." He smiled darkly but slowly lowered the blade away from Jenny's mouth. "I'll take the cuffs."

He dropped his knife into the dirt and GIbbs immediately forced him to the ground, pinning his arms behind his back and putting him in handcuffs.

Stan rushed over to Jenny and checked for a pulse, finding a steady heartbeat against her throat. The older agent threw him his pocket knife, which he caught, and he sawed the ropes away from her wrists. They were rubbed raw with the beginnings of deep bruises forming. He saw red. He looked over at his boss and recognized the same livid expression on his face. He quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around Jenny's still form. She startled and stared back at him with wide, panicked eyes.

"Red! It's me! You're fine! We got him!"

She slowly collected herself and her breathing calmed. She wrapped his jacket tighter around her shaking frame and pushed herself off of the ground, ignoring the hand that was offered to help her up.

Once Gibbs saw that she was okay, he hauled Boone to his feet and forced him to walk to the transport van, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law…"

"You okay, Shep?"

"Fine, Burley."

She looked anything but.

"We have EMS on standb-"

"No."

He looked at her incredulously. "You're hurt; you were knocked out cold for who knows how long and your wrists need to be wrapped."

She glanced down and seemed to finally notice the bright red rings, the pain starting to set in.

"I'll be fine."

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "At least tell me you'll let Ducky look you over."

She nodded once and he smiled gratefully. "Great, let's get you back to HQ."

They made their way back to the cars, not saying anything. Stan held open the door for her and she gratefully climbed in, curling herself into the backseat and closing her eyes. He shut the door quietly and walked over to where Gibbs and Fornell seemed to be stuck in a heated discussion.

"This was my case long before it was yours, Jethro! He'll be taken to the Hoover Building for interrogation."

"He killed a petty officer and attacked one of my people!" His voice lowered. "You know I can break him, Tobias. Let me handle it."

He could tell that his boss was about two seconds away from losing it.

Fornell seemed to consider it. "You'll do the paperwork?"

Gibbs just grinned smugly and Fornell ran a hand through his dark, slicked-back mop of hair. "Fine. Twenty-four hours and then were giving him to the prosecutors."

"Boss, Shepard is in the back of the car. Do you want me to take her to see Ducky?"

"Give me five minutes and I'll drive back with you. Decker and Fornell are transporting that SOB to interrogation."

"She'll need to give her statement, Jethro."

Gibbs nodded. "I'll get it from her later. Your guys got the scene?"

"No problem."

They got into the car and Gibbs turned to look at the redhead lying in the backseat sound asleep, allowing a look of concern to appear on his features.

"I figured after the day she's had, she deserves the sleep."

The older agent grunted his agreement, pulled out of clearing, and drove towards the highway. Surprisingly, or maybe not, Gibbs driving was less erratic than usual and Stan hid his smile.

* * *

Jenny had changed into a pair of standard NCIS sweats and sat on one of the cold metal slabs in autopsy, her damp hair from her shower tucked loosely behind her ears and her legs swinging back and forth. Stan couldn't help but think she looked ten years younger. If Gibbs wasn't still in interrogation, like he had been for the last two hours, and Decker wasn't still monitoring from the observation room, he had no doubt that both would be in here watching her protectively. In a way, Stan was grateful that they weren't here. She'd probably feel smothered and snap, something no one needed right now.

"Ah, here we are!"

Ducky emerged from the back closet with a roll of bandages and antiseptic spray. Jenny stopped swinging her legs and offered the doctor a small smile. "It's really not necessary, Ducky, but thank you."

He smiled gently at her. "Not at all, my dear. Now, let's get you fixed up. Are you sure nothing else hurts?"

"Just my head and wrists."

She was practically whispering and Stan strained to hear her. Ducky carefully picked up one of her hands and held the spray.

"This might sting a bit."

She nodded tightly and he saw her cringe. Ducky repeated the process with the other wrist before wrapping both of them tightly in the tan bandages.

"Let's take a look at your head, shall we?"

He brushed her hair aside and examined the abrasion near her temple. "I don't think it needs stitches. We'll just clean it up and close it."

Jenny squeezed her eyes tightly as Ducky sprayed the antiseptic once more, placed some medical glue on the abrasion , and placed a butterfly bandage over the wound. He passed her a couple of ibuprofens and a glass of water, both which she took gratefully. "There, all done."

"Thank you, Ducky."

"Yeah," Stan smiled at the medical examiner, "thanks, Duckman."

"Glad I could be of assistance. Now," he turned to the redhead again, "don't hesitate to call if you're still feeling unwell, Jennifer. Understand?"

She nodded and squeezed his hand. "I won't."

"Good. Go home and get some rest."

She and Burley walked out of autopsy and rode the elevator into the bullpen in comfortable silence. She rounded to her desk and pulled out a pen and notepad.

"What're you doing?"

She looked at him, one eyebrow raised and head tilted slightly. "Writing my statement."

"Ducky said you needed to go home."

"And I will after I've finished my job."

"You need to rest, Shepard. You're not okay!" His voice slowly rose. "I can tell! This case messed with you more than you're letting on and you need a break before you break!"

"Don't."

Her tone was low and he paused his rant immediately. She looked up at him and he noticed that her eyes were hard, the fire behind them building. "Don't treat me like I'm a victim."

He took a deep breath before glaring at her. "Fine. But after this, you're going home."

She nodded and started writing. She paused and looked over to where he was reclining in his desk chair and reading a sports magazine.

"Hey, Stan?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

He smirked. "Don't get used to it, Red."

* * *

**A/N: So this idea came from watching S3E3 (Mind Games) on repeat. Jenny didn't make an appearance at all during the episode and with Boone being arrested in the mid-nineties... Just got me thinking. Anyway, this particular chapter was more focused on Stan and Jenny's friendship than anything else, because while we don't see them interact on the show, I think their relationship could've been a lot like Kate and Tony's (the sibling-ish aspect anyway). Hope you enjoyed!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Crime Scenes**

* * *

"Grab your gear! Body found on a hiking trail in Shenandoah."

Stan grinned from ear to ear. "You guys know what that means?"

Will rolled his eyes and threw his backpack over his shoulder. "No, Burley," his voice oozed with sarcasm, "I do not."

"Despite Decker's obvious disdain for your question, I am still lost as to why you're so excited."

"Sweet, naive probie," he patted the top of Jenny's head and she snarled, "we're going on another road trip!"

She grabbed his hand and bent his wrist; twisting his arm behind his back and slamming him into the filing cabinet.

He gave a girlish yelp.

Her voice was a deadly whisper. "Touch me again and I'll make sure the heel of my favorite stiletto finds its way to your eye socket."

"Let 'im go, Jen."

She tightened her grip and he whimpered before she shoved him into the metal cabinet, stalking off with her backpack weighing heavily on her shoulders.

"Geez, you'd think she'd lighten up a little."

Gibbs smirked and grabbed his own pack. "Ah, Stan, I thought you would've learned by now."

"Boss?"

He sprinted to catch the elevator. "Don't piss her off."

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

"Stan, you keep this up and you're riding in the van on the way back."

He smiled broadly and reclined in the backseat, "Eh, I'm sure Ducky needs some company anyway."

"In a body bag."

Stan gulped audibly and straightened. "Understood, Boss."

Jenny snickered and Will hid his smirk behind his hand, his eyes never leaving the window.

They were about an hour into the drive; Decker called _shotgun _before anyone else could, causing Burley to whine about it and the length of the trip for the majority of the time they were in the car. Shepard seemed content to just put on her headphones and listen to her _Alanis Morsette _album on her blue, portable CD player.

Stan leaned forward between the two front seats and dropped his voice to a whisper. "You know, I think it might be Red's time of the month."

Will turned around, his dark eyebrows drawn together and his head slightly tilted. "What do you mean? She seems normal to me."

"You should've seen her in the bullpen! Almost broke my wrist!"

"Okay but what did _you _do?"

"Nothing! I mean, maybe I patted her head BUT she's been more snippy for the last month."

"Well, she was sort of knocked unconscious and almost had her tongue cut out by serial killer, Stan."

"But that's normal for her!"

Will's eyebrows rose to his hairline.

Burley ran a hand through his sandy-blonde hair. "I mean, Shep doesn't exactly go looking for trouble, well sometimes she does… but it always seems to find her, ya know?"

"Sure, but she's still been her usual self to me."

The younger agent rolled his eyes. He clearly wasn't going to convince Will. He looked towards Gibbs. "You've been married a few times, Boss; you think Shep's turning into a werewolf?"

Gibbs smartly kept his mouth shut.

Giving a sigh of frustration, Burley tried to lean back in his seat only to meet the combat boot of an agitated redhead pressed between his shoulder blades. "For the record, _Stanley_, you just seem to have the ability to set my teeth on edge."

"Ah come on, Red," he winced, "you know you find me charming."

"No, I find you annoying."

"Do I have to separate you two?"

"Probably."

Gibbs drained his coffee before crumpling the paper cup and throwing it at Burley, catching him off guard as he and Shepard continued to bicker.

"Hey," Will's voice rose above the others, "we're here."

Ducky jumped out of the medical examiner's van in front of them and flagged them down. They all got out of the vehicle, Stan stretching his legs dramatically, and walked towards him while slinging their packs over their shoulders.

"Good morning, all! How's my favorite Major Case Response Team?"

Jenny leaned over and kissed his cheek, "we're your only Major Case Response Team, Ducky."

He smiled. "Ah yes, but that doesn't make you any less my favorite."

She grinned back and squeezed his shoulder. Gibbs had already spoken to the park ranger guarding the crime scene and motioned for them to follow him.

"Shepard."

"Photos, got it."

"Burley - bag and tag."

"Aye aye, Bossman."

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Decker - sketches."

"Sure thing, Boss."

The sight they encountered wasn't something typically found in the middle of thick trees and foliage. A Navy lieutenant, judging by the dog tags around his neck, laid face-down on the forest floor in nothing but his briefs: hands cuffed behind his back, long scratches along his shoulder blades and sides, and a bullet through the back of his skull.

"What're you thinkin', Duck?"

"Jethro, give me a moment with the poor man."

Gibbs walked a few feet away to begin photographing the footprint trail and piece of gum, huffing slightly as he did.

Ducky laughed good naturedly and began his examination. "I'll have to get him to autopsy to know more but I think I can rule his death as a homicide."

"You know, if had a dollar for every time someone asked to play with my handcuffs," Decker trailed off suggestively before giving a dramatic sigh and bending down to take a closer look at the body, "I'd only have a few bucks."

Ducky chuckled.

"Really?" Jenny appeared at his shoulder; leaning over and snapping a close-up photo of the scratches on the victim's back. "I'd be rich."

Suddenly, Gibbs had an untimely meeting with gravity; tripping over a tree root with his arms flailing slightly as he caught himself just before his face could hit the ground.

"You okay over there, Boss?"

The footprints were a mess of leaves and soil now. He stood up and brushed the dirt off is pants, "'m fine, Decker."

Shepard merely raised an eyebrow.

Burley snickered and lowered his voice so only Gibbs could hear. "Get a little distracted, Boss? I think Red would prefer it if you'd just ask her out instead of staring at her a-"

The senior agent delivered a swift _whack_ to the back of Burley's sandy blonde head and sent his standard NCIS cap flying.

"Back to work before I have you on cold cases for the next year!"

Stan quickly complied, chuckling in amusement.

He stormed back over to the body. "You got a TOD for me yet, Dr. Mallard."

If Ducky was amused by his friend's behaviour, he didn't show it. "I'd say about 12 hours ago based on the lividity and temperature."

He gave a curt nod and walked back to the van. "Gettin' the gurney."

Jenny stared after him, her head slightly tilted in confusion, and Ducky smiled. "You may want to go after him, my dear. Seems as though something is troubling him."

"He won't listen to me, Ducky."

"Yeah, Duck," Will chimed in, "you know what he's like when he's this way."

"Ah," he grinned as if knowing something they didn't, "something tells me he'll listen to her."

She nodded uncertainly but silently made her way back to the van.

Will glanced at the medical examiner out of the corner of his eye. "You plotting something?"

Ducky seemed to not hear him, "William, did you know that in 1912 George Carney invented the first set of swing cuffs that closely resemble the pair on Lt. Michaels here? Notice the lack of bruising on his wrists? He most likely was-"

The Scottish lilt faded into the distance as Jenny slowly approached her partner/boss. He wasn't making any move to grab the gurney as he'd said but rather was rifling through the back of the van.

"What're you doing?"

He jumped slightly and glared at her. "Glove ripped. Need another pair."

"Mhmmm…" She leaned against the side of the vehicle, watching him intently.

"You wanna tell me why you're not taking photos?"

"Nah, I'm okay." She smirked, "want to tell me why you look as though you want to smack Burley into next week?"

"None of your business, Shepard."

She propped a hand on her hip, "Oh, but you see, I think it is my business."

"And how is it your business?"

"If you kill him, I have to be the alibi. Decker's too much of a rule-follower and you know it."

He smiled a bit and she matched it with a grin of her own. "Knew I was gonna like you."

"Eh, what are partners for?"

He smirked at her. "Following orders when I give them."

"Never been good at that." She raised a challenging eyebrow. "Now, you wanna tell me why you're agitated?"

He jumped out of the van and leaned against it, his shoulder brushing hers as he crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't speak.

"You gonna just stand there brooding or are you gonna tell me?"

He laughed lowly and readjusted his cap, running a hand through his dark hair in the process. "It's really nothing..."

"Do I have to bribe you?"

He raised an eyebrow, his lips turned up in mischief. "Depends on the bribe."

She rolled her eyes and punched his shoulder. "I meant coffee, you incorrigible gutter-brain."

He let out a bark of laughter before his expression turned more serious, his eyes boring into hers. "Je-"

A strangled yelp followed by a crunch pierced through the air and both ran towards the noise, leaving their conversation unfinished.

Back at the crime scene, Burly was laying on the ground clutching his ankle that appeared to be awkwardly twisted. Ducky was leaning over him, clearly trying to see the injury, but the younger man was practically rolling across the forest floor.

"If you would just hold still long enough, Stanley, you might actually be in less pain!"

Will stepped towards the squirming agent and pinned his arms behind his back, holding him still. "Now, Ducky!"

The doctor quickly set the bone and wrapped it in medical tape. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"What the hell happened?!"

They turned to see Gibbs glowering behind an extremely confused Shepard.

"Burley thought it'd be a great idea to climb the tree instead of going for a ladder to get that rope dangling from it."

Gibbs rubbed a hand over his face, muttering darkly under his breath while Jenny started laughing.

Stan gave them a pained smile. "So does that mean I get to ride shotgun, Boss?"

* * *

**A/N: Here's another one! I had some time to edit so I figured why not publish it *shrugs*. I blame this particular chapter on a lot of things: 1. S1E6 when Burley mentions Gibbs getting distracted and contaminating/destroying evidence. 2. The microscopic Harry Potter reference about trouble (because I couldn't help it). And 3. The comment about handcuffs? That was all Motive (such a fantastic show... I miss it dearly). **

**Hopefully, the next chapter will be up sometime this week! Thanks again to everyone who's reviewed so far! Your comments absolutely make my day :)**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Christmas Parties**

* * *

"Ducky, I need you to hide me! Quick!"

Stan sprinted into the living room of the medical examiner's historic mansion and came to a skidded halt.

"DUCKY, I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"

Jenny came flying into the room not five seconds later, her eyes filled with murder, a bright green elf hat sitting precariously ont he top of her head, and covered in baking flour. Stan hid behind the medical examiner near the Christmas tree and grinned nervously.

"You'd have to go through Ducky first and you wouldn't dare hurt him."

The redhead had her fists clenched to her sides, her knuckles turning white. Ducky looked at both in bewilderment. "What on earth happened, Jennifer?"

"That _buffoon,_" she pointed an accusing finger at the man cowering behind him, "decided to have a snowball fight in your kitchen with the flour I was using to bake shortbread cookies!"

"Does this mean we will not be having as many cookies?"

"Yes."

Ducky stepped aside, leaving Stan fully exposed. "You're on your own, dear boy."

Stan whimpered and Jenny grinned dangerously, stalking towards him like an animal who'd just cornered its prey. She suddenly pounced and tackled him to the floor as Stan released a girlish scream.

The medical examiner shook his head in mild amusement. "No blood on the hardwoods, my dear. Mother will have a fit."

Ducky's mother had decided to go back to Scotland for the Christmas holiday and he had planned to go with her, until they'd caught a case the day their flight was scheduled to take off. Jenny didn't have any family that he was aware of, neither did Gibbs, and Stan and Will's families were in different states so he'd decided to invite all of them to his home for Christmas rather than them all spend the holiday miserably alone. Gibbs had politely declined, claiming he needed to be by himself. Ducky sensed there was something his friend wasn't telling him, but the look in his eyes begged him not to push. He understood; some things were better left untouched. Will hadn't shown up yet, promising to be there a little before dinner, but the two youngest agents of the team had come earlier in the day armed with alcohol, eggnog, and baking supplies. Comically enough, they'd both shown up in elf hats and set a large, red, white faux fur trimmed stocking cap on his head as soon as he opened the door. He didn't have the heart to remove it.

He'd already prepared dinner; the turkey roasting rather nicely in the oven and the side dishes already placed on the dining room table and covered in tin foil. Jenny had wanted to get a head start on baking and Stan had offered to help. Clearly, Stan's version of 'helping' was very different from theirs.

"Do you yield defeat?"

Jenny's voice brought the doctor out of his musings. He glanced over at the pair to see the redhead sitting on top of Burley's legs, one arm pinned behind his back and his wrist bent awkwardly, with his face pressed into the rug.

"I yield! I yield!"

His panicked cries were muffled and Ducky chuckled at their antics. He'd never point it out, but the two acted like quarreling siblings more often than not.

The doorbell rang and his mother's two corgis came running from one of the upstairs bedrooms, barking all the way. Ducky nudged them away gently and opened the door to see Decker, his arms laden with brightly wrapped gifts, and surprisingly, a reluctant looking Gibbs.

"William! And Jethro! Come in, come in… Jennifer and Stanley arrived a few hours ago."

"Thanks, Ducky. Sorry we're late, I had to drag this one's drunken self out from under his boat." He jerked a thumb in Gibbs direction.

"I was not drunk, Deck."

Will just shrugged. "Whatever, Gibbs. You've been a Scrooge as long as I've known you. Might be nice for you to actually spend a Christmas sober."

"Who says we're staying sober?"

Stan emerged from the living room, rubbing his wrist, and took some of the presents from Will while placing matching hat on top of the older agent's head. "You guys haven't tried my famous eggnog yet!"

"Spiked?"

"Is there any other way to have it?"

Decker just smirked.

Gibbs stalked further into the house before crouching down to scratch the small dogs behind their ears. "Where's Jen?"

Ducky grinned. "Jennifer is most likely in the kitchen."

He nodded and began to walk in that general direction, not before being stopped by Stan. He held up an identical elf hat to his own and Gibbs glared. "Put that on me, Stan, and I'll put it so far up your-"

"Gentlemen, please," the medical examiner cut in, "it's Christmas Eve. Let's try to get along?"

"Shep already tried to break my arm. I think getting along is wishful thinking, Duckman."

Ducky rolled his eyes and threw up his hands in frustration. It was going to be a long evening.

* * *

Dinner had surprisingly been a calm affair, minus Burley's gloating about getting the larger portion of the wishbone and Decker's childish pouting, and Ducky considered it a success. Gibbs had been silent for most of the meal and he noticed that Jenny continued to look at him worriedly out of the corner of her eye. The medical examiner knew that the partners were close, even if neither of them would admit it. Her worry wasn't misplaced but like him, she knew not to push.

Stan had brought out the spiked eggnog not too long ago as they all sat around the fireplace, the lights on the Christmas tree shining brightly. Jenny was curled up in the corner of the couch, her feet tucked under her and talking quietly with her partner who sat stoically next to her. He wasn't sure what exactly they were discussing; he was just glad there seemed to be someone Gibbs was willing to talk to. Decker sat on the floor next to the tree, playing tug-of-war with one of the corgis, the other resting in Ducky's lap as he sat in his favorite armchair. He wasn't sure where Burley went but-"

"Mistletoe!"

Ah, there he was. The clearly intoxicated man was holding a small bunch of the aforementioned plant above the two partners. Gibbs glared at him and Jenny certainly looked uncomfortable. Decker's interest was piqued and he grinned smugly. Ducky took pity on them.

"Stanley, please leave them alone."

"But it's tradition, Duckman! They gotta kiss!"

Ducky scrubbed a hand over his face. It didn't help that Burley had drunkenly told him that he was going to try and set up the two "lonely souls" while Ducky had gone to grab the tray of shortbread cookies from the kitchen. Clearly the man had no boundaries.

Gibbs continued to glare, however, it didn't seem to affect the younger agent has he continued to bounce on the balls of his feet looking almost giddy. Suddenly, Jenny leaned up and quickly brushed her lips across her partner's cheek, her own cheeks turning red as her hair.

Stanly glared at them both. "That doesn't count."

"You said they had to kiss, Stan." Will shook his head in amusement. "You didn't specify what kind."

He groaned and threw the mistletoe behind him, stalking into the living room and grabbing a cookie before sprawling out on the floor next to the fireplace.

Gibbs looked at the redhead, his eyebrows raised slightly. She shrugged and looked down. "He wasn't going to leave us alone otherwise."

Ducky noticed that Gibbs smiled for the first time all evening.

* * *

Despite the number of guestrooms Ducky's home had, they'd all stayed in the living room, the fire slowly dying and the lights of the Christmas tree twinkling softly. Jenny had fallen asleep on the smaller couch, her petite frame wrapped snugly in a green and blue tartan blanket, while Stan took the longer couch, one arm dangling off the edge, the other bent above his head, crushing his hat, and snoring lightly. Decker was reclined in one of the leather armchairs with both of the corgis sleeping happily in his lap and Gibbs had decided on the floor between Ducky's recliner and the small couch. The special agent had one arm thrown over his eyes while the other rested on his chest, but it was obvious he wasn't sleeping.

"Jethro, are you alright?"

"'M fine, Duck."

Ducky hesitated slightly before lowering his voice. "Do you care for her?"

Gibbs moved his arm and stared warily at the doctor. "She's my partner and she's a probie." He shrugged, "I gotta look out for her."

"You're protective."

It wasn't a question and he didn't respond.

"She's just as protective of you, you know."

Gibbs huffed in disbelief. "G'night, Dr. Mallard."

Ducky shook his head good-naturedly and settled into his chair, watching the last of the flames become nothing but embers.

* * *

**A/N: Just a bit of Christmas fluff :) Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Drinks**

* * *

"What are we doing here?"

"Come on, Red! You'll love it!"

They stood in front of Murphy's Irish Pub in Old Town and Jenny eyed it warily. It wasn't that she disliked the bar by any means, in fact, she used to love coming here with her roommates in college for weekly trivia night and well deserved breaks from studying her far-too-large political science textbooks. It had just been a grueling week and all she wanted was a glass of wine, a hot bath, and her bed. Socialization could wait.

She sighed, "I'm exhausted, Stan."

He looked at her with what she assumed was his best interpretation of a puppy. "Please? Give it ten minutes and if you're not having fun, then you can go."

She hesitated but nodded anyway. His excited grin made her even more uneasy. He practically jogged into the pub and she followed him at a much slower pace, silently debating whether or not she could get out of this unscathed.

She pushed open the heavy, worn oak door and was greeted by a sight she hadn't expected to see. The bar still had the same shamrock green paint with first responder paraphernalia tacked to the walls and dark hardwood furniture with a fire crackling merrily in the fireplace, but instead of it being filled with the usual Friday night crowd, she only saw her coworkers. Gibbs was leaning back against the bar, a small smirk on his lips, while Decker, Ducky, and Pacci were laughing at something Kurt, the bartender, had said. She could see the rest of Pacci's team, Balboa, Stevens, and Lacose, Ducky's new assistant, Gerald, and even Tom Morrow.

"Guys?"

Stan wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she was too stunned to remove it as they all turned to smile at her. "Well, today is a pretty important day and we thought we should celebrate."

"My birthday isn't until October…"

Ducky appeared to take pity on her. "My dear, today marks one year since you've joined the agency."

Her eyes widened in shock and Stan snorted. "More like one year of survival on Gibbs' team."

Gibbs just continued to smirk.

Morrow walked over to her and smiled. "Congratulations, Agent Shepard. I'm expecting great things from you."

"Thank you, sir."

She shook his hand and he made his way to the door. "I'm heading out. You all enjoy, but I expect to see you all at your desks on Monday."

As soon as the door closed, Burley pushed her towards the bar and sat her in the stool between Gibbs and Ducky. The former elbowed her gently, "You forgot, didn't you."

It wasn't a question, she really had forgotten but even if she had remembered, she hadn't expected anyone else to.

"Yeah, but I didn't expect you guys to remember either."

"You're no longer a probie, Shepard!" Decker shouted from across the bar. "How does that feel?"

She laughed, "Feels great, Will."

Stan hopped up on the barstool on the other side of Gibbs. "Can we get her a drink, Kurt?"

The older man she's known for years smiled at her warmly, "What'll it be, Jenny?"

"Cosmo?"

"You got it, darlin'. Another for you, Gibbs?"

Jenny smiled at him and Gibbs nodded before shaking his head laughing quietly. She turned and looked at her grinning partner, an eyebrow quirked upwards in question. "What?"

"Oh, nothing…"

She glared at him and he raised his hands in surrender. "It's a girly drink, Jen."

"Well, Jethro I actually find the drink to be rather enjoyable and I'm not a woman."

"You're drinking scotch, Duck."

Pacci laughed. "He has a point, Ducky."

Kurt placed their respective drinks in front of them with a small thanks from both. Stan raised his beer and the others followed with their own drinks. "A toast to Red! A woman that's survived Gibbs longer than any of his ex-wives!"

There was a round of agreement and congratulations, with an eye-roll from Jenny, before they all took a drink from their glasses. As she went to raise her glass, she was stopped by a hand over the rim. Gibbs pulled the drink from her hand and replaced it with his own.

"Try it."

She swirled the amber liquid. "I don't even know what 'it' is."

"Do you trust me?"

"Give me a tough question."

He smiled at her. "Just try it. It's an acquired taste but you'll like it."

She gingerly took a sip of the alcohol and immediately started coughing. The rest of her coworkers started howling with laughter with only Ducky taking sympathy on her.

"There there, Jennifer," he rubbed her back comfortingly as she continued to cough up a lung, "I should have warned you about his taste in beverage."

She turned sharply and threw Gibbs a hard right hook to his shoulder. "What the hell was that?!"

Gibbs rolled his shoulder, grimacing slightly. "Bourbon." His grimace turned into a challenging smirk. "Can't handle it?"

She cursed him under her breath and downed the rest of the glass without batting an eye. It took her a moment to adjust to the sharp sting of the liquor but it slowly turned into a pleasant burn that hit the back of her throat and warmed her chest. She was surprised that she actually enjoyed it. When she finished the shot, she grinned at him like the cat that caught the canary.

Gibbs was properly stunned.

Stan let out a low whistle. "I'm impressed, Shep. Don't think anyone's ever taken up the boss on a dare and succeeded."

"Can you get me another, Kurt?"

"Make that two."

"Oh no," Her tone was dangerous, "you took away my 'girly' drink and we're not wasting good alcohol. You drink it."

"Hell no."

"It's only fair, Jethro."

He glared at the medical examiner. "Fine."

She held his gaze as he polished off her drink, the crinkles around his eyes were the only indication that he hated it.

He placed the glass back on the counter and glared at her. "Happy?"

"Thrilled actually."

* * *

She ended up staying well over two hours before deciding to call it a night and ordering a cab. Pacci, his team, Decker, and Gerald had all already left and Ducky and Stan were staying to debate which was better, muscle or vintage cars, with Kurt acting as their mediator. Gibbs was nowhere to be seen.

She bid them all a good night and stepped out into the warm summer evening. Her partner stood outside, hands stuffed in his jeans pockets, and leaning back against the worn brick wall. She sided up next to him and nudged him slightly. "Are you hiding?"

"Nah, just thought it was a nice night."

"That sounds like hiding."

He grinned down at her. "I can only hear Burley go on about how great Corvettes are for so long. We all know Challengers are better."

They both laughed quietly.

"I'm heading home." She whispered, breaking the easy silence that settled over them.

"You need a ride?"

"I called a cab, should be here in ten minutes."

He tilted his head in confusion. "You were gonna stand outside by yourself for almost fifteen minutes?"

"Well I'm not by myself, am I?"

He smiled. "No, I suppose not."

She wasn't sure if she was just exhausted or the alcohol was starting to affect her, but she was suddenly very sleepy. She placed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, something she was sure she'd regret later. He didn't seem to mind.

Not long after, a cab pulled up to the curb.

"I think that's yours."

She nodded slowly and grinned at him sheepishly. "Thanks for the company, Gibbs."

"Jethro."

She raised both eyebrows and he simply shrugged. "You've earned it."

She smiled widely and climbed into the cab. "Goodnight, _Jethro_." She liked their way his name rolled off of her tongue.

He smiled back. "'Night, Jen."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the delay; life's been a mess. Hope you enjoyed!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Partners**

* * *

"What're you doing here, Gibbs?"

She stood in the middle of the doorway; short, damp copper strands hung in tangled waves around her face, brushing her shoulders, and her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Her fingers nervously picked at the soft pink cotton of her robe.

"Checking up on you."

Sharp emerald eyes narrowed to slits. "Well as you can see, I'm fine." She moved to close the door. "You can go now."

He placed his hand on the door and pushed it back. She gave an exasperated huff and turned on her heel. "You want to stay? Fine. Help yourself to a drink."

His eyes followed her retreating form up the stairs until he heard the distant hum of a hairdryer coming from her second story bathroom. He strolled into what he assumed was her study and poured them both a tumbler of bourbon before sitting himself on the soft, brown leather couch in the living room.

He'd never been in her house before. Surprised wouldn't even begin to cover his reaction. He knew his partner had elegant taste, but the house, from what he'd seen, looked as though it hadn't changed in several years. The whole place seemed cold and unwelcoming; two words he'd never describe her with. Jenny was warm and full of life.

The only thing warm in her house was the fire roaring under the mantle.

He threw his Carhart over the arm of the couch; even if Jenny didn't come back downstairs, he wasn't planning on leaving. That much was certain.

Today's case had taken a turn for the worse. Arrest warrant gone bad; the suspect, a petty officer who'd murdered one of his shipmates, was waiting for them in the closet with a semiautomatic. He'd heard the shots from the back of the house and came running towards the sound. When he'd reached her, her arms were still outstretched in front of her and her shaking hands were still wrapped stiffly around her gun. She'd looked terrified.

It was her first kill. Double tap. Just like she'd been trained; but training didn't prepare her for the toll killing someone would take on her, even if it was in self defense. She'd put up a great facade of pretending like she was fine, but he saw the hairline fractures in her mask.

Jenny made her way down the stairs clad in an old grey Georgetown University t-shirt, black cotton shorts, and fuzzy pink socks. She seemed flustered; her short hair mussed and slightly curled, cheeks pale, and eyes meeting his warily.

"You wanna watch a movie or something?"

He gave a noncommittal shrug and her lips turned up slightly.

"I'll get the popcorn. VHS collection is in the hutch under the tv. Go ahead and pick one out."

As Jenny walked into the kitchen, he looked at the surprisingly large collection of tapes: _Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Big, Top Gun, The Princess Bride, Jurassic Park, Die Hard, Pretty Woman, Sister Act, The Silence of the Lambs… _Jenny apparently had an eclectic taste in movies, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd actually gone to the cinema.

"See something you like?"

He hadn't heard her come back in and the smug smirk on her face told him that she was rather proud that she was able to catch him off guard.

He glared at her. "I haven't decided yet."

She set down two large bowls of popcorn on the coffee table and moved to his side. She bumped her hip against his to move him out of the way and reached into the cabinet. _Tombstone. _"You like westerns, right?"

He grunted affirmatively and moved to stretch out on the couch; snagging a bowl of popcorn and kicking off his boots. She started the film and curled up in the opposite corner of the sofa. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, her fingers loosely holding the tumbler of bourbon as the opening credits played.

An hour went by and neither of them spoke. The movie was an excellent choice, but he couldn't stay fully focused on it. He eyed Jenny carefully, almost protectively. She wasn't completely focused on the movie either; constantly tapping her nails against her glass and staring at the fire instead of the film.

He knew she was struggling.

A piece of popcorn landed in her shoulder-length crimson waves and she turned to glare at him. "What the hell, Gibbs?"

He flicked another kernel at her and she batted it away, looking indignant. He aimed another piece at her, "don't you dare…" and sent it flying her way.

She growled menacingly, took a handful of her of her own popcorn, and threw it at him.

Before they knew it, they were both covered in popcorn and laughing, not even attempting to pay attention to the movie anymore. She leaned back against his side and tried to catch her breath as his arm came to rest lightly around her shoulders.

"Jen?"

"Yeah?"

"You wanna talk about it?"

She went silent before sighing heavily. "You can't just let it be?"

His fingers brushed her arm and she looked up at him. "Not when I know you're not okay."

She didn't say anything, turning her gaze back to the tv, and he started to become more desperate. "What're you afraid of?"

"Honestly?" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I won't be taken seriously."

He rubbed a hand over his face. "Jenny, you shot som-"

"I know what I did."

He felt her stiffen against his side. "How long have we been partners?"

His gaze snapped to the top of her head. She still wasn't looking at him, but her question threw him for a loop.

"'Bout a year and a half now. Why?"

"So we're pretty close, right?"

His fingers resumed brushing against her arm, trying to get her to relax. "Where's this going?"

She gave him a sad smile and he noticed that her eyes were brimming with tears. "Promise you won't tell the guys you saw me cry?"

"Ah hell, Jen…" He pulled her closer and firmly wrapped both arms around her, gently stroking her hair. She buried her face in his neck and loosely gripped the front of his green USMC t-shirt.

She didn't make a sound or shake uncontrollably, just let her tears fall silently down her cheeks. He felt her warm, slightly ragged breath on his skin and held her tighter. He had the overwhelming urge to protect her, even if she scoffed at the idea and claimed she was perfectly capable of handling herself. He knew she was, but that didn't mean that she had to suffer alone.

"You don't have to be strong all the time." He whispered next to her ear, "Showing weakness makes you human, Jenny."

"I was a good agent today, Jethro."

"You were. Still are."

"Then why do I feel so horrible?"

His chin came to rest on top of her soft crimson waves. "It's never easy."

Eventually the tears stopped falling and she pried herself away slightly. She wiped away the remains of her tears and held her hands in her lap. "Thank you."

He just pulled her to his side once more.

She laughed mirthlessly. "You're not letting me out of your sight, are you?"

"Nope."

At this point, the end credits had started to roll. "Want to start another one?"

"I'm not leaving, might as well."

She padded over to the tv and picked out another film before coming to sit next to him again. Her hand came up to grab his, the one resting on top of the couch, and brought his arm around her shoulders. He didn't protest, but threw her a bemused smirk.

"Shut up."

He picked up his glass of bourbon and held it to his lips, hiding his grin. The opening credits started to play and the title appeared on the screen.

"_When Harry Met Sally_? Really, Jen?"

She smiled up at him. "Just give it a chance."

* * *

**A/N: This one was inspired by the last scene of Picket Fences S1E2, The Green Bay Chopper (probably one of my favorite episodes). Watch it if you have the chance! Anyway, short and sweet and significantly more Jibbs (which will probably be the case from here on out). To everyone who's reviewed, you guys literally make my day. Thank you! Hope you enjoyed!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Hockey Games**

* * *

"I can't believe it…"

Jenny looked up from the case file she was reading, one eyebrow raised slightly. Will was sitting at his desk, phone attached to his ear, with his mouth open in shock. "I got them..."

Stan leaped out of his chair and ran over to Decker's side, sticking his ear next to the phone. His face split into a wide grin and he slapped the other man on the back. "WE GOT 'EM!"

This seemed to snap Will out of his shock and his lips stretched into a smile that matched Burley's. He quickly thanked the person on the other end of the phone before hanging up and giving Stan an almost bear-like hug.

The younger agent stared at the two's outburst of excitement with bewilderment. "I hope you're both referring to our suspect. Otherwise, Gibbs will be pissed."

They didn't hear her. "I'm going down to the station to pick them up! Tell Boss I went on a coffee break!"

And with that, Will quickly left the bullpen leaving one stunned and one very happy agent behind.

"Stan…?"

He seemed to finally notice that she was still in the room. "Tomorrow night, Shep! You in?"

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "For what exactly?"

"Caps versus Panthers at the new arena! What else?!"

She threw the case file in front of her and crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't watch hockey, Stan."

He looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "How can you not watch hockey?! That in of itself is a crime! Don't tell me you like something completely girl-ish instead."

"Baseball."

"Baseball?"

Jenny smirked. "Yes, Stanley. I'm an Orioles fan."

He continued to look gobsmacked. "You just like them because they won the World Series this year!"

The redhead threw a stack of post-it notes at him and turned back her case file. "Been a fan for as long as I can remember." Her smile then was almost nostalgic, "Eddie Murray threw me an out of bounds catch he took during the 9th inning in '79. Dad said I should…" she trailed off slightly and mumbled under her breath, "I think I still have it somewhere."

Just then, Gibbs walked into the bullpen, his ever present cup of Jamaican blend in hand. "Who's got something where?"

"Shep's got a baseball from an Orioles game and now she's a fan of the most boring sport in history."

Jenny stuck her tongue out childishly.

Gibbs just shrugged. "You forgot golf. I happen to like baseball."

"I think Ducky would disagree with you…"

The redhead's comment went unheard and Stan looked almost gleeful. "But your favorite is hockey, right?"

He smirked and leaned against Jenny's desk. "Nope. Good ol' American football."

The younger man looked slightly downtrodden. "At least tell me you're a Redskins fan."

Gibbs took a drink of the black swill. "Cowboys."

Burley dramatically clutched his chest, staggered, and fell over. "You're killing me, Boss."

"They are America's team, Stan." Jenny stated solemnly as she peered over her desk. "Five time Super Bowl champs, if I remember correctly."

He jumped up and glared at her. "Oh so you'll watch football but not hockey?"

She nodded.

"Fine. You two are insane. Will and I were going to invite you guys to come to the game tomorrow but not anymore. You two are coming whether you like it or not." He started them both down as if waiting for them to argue.

Jenny seemed to contemplate the offer and looked over at her boss. "Looks like you won't be able to make it to my place then, Jethro."

Stan's eyes widened.

The senior field agent ran a hand through his dark brown, grey-flecked hair before rubbing his jaw. "Darn, Jen. I was looking forward to tomorrow too; bought a new bottle of bourbon and everything."

The younger man's jaw dropped. "Are you guys -?"

They seemed not to hear him and Jenny bit her lip. "Tell you what, you come by tonight and make it up to you. How does that sound?"

"Did you get something new for us?"

"Wait wha-?"

She smirked. "Don't I always?"

He gave her a wolfish grin. "I think I can work with that."

"ARE YOU TWO A THING?!"

Jenny tilted her head and looked at the stunned agent. "What makes you think that?"

"Yeah, Stan. It's just a movie. You really think I'd get involved with someone like her?"

Stan stood baffled. "But… I mean, she's a redhead…"

The redhead in question raised an eyebrow. "Yes. And he's an egotistical, chauvinistic, pigheaded thorn in my side."

"And she's a stubborn, irritating, feministic probie. I'm surprised we haven't killed each other."

Jenny nodded solemnly once more.

Burley rubbed his temples and mumbled his breath, "You two are freaking perfect for each other." He looked up at the smirking partners. "You guys in for the game or not?"

She glanced at Gibbs. "Think you can spend a second night away from your boat?"

He just grinned and took another large drink of his coffee. She rolled her eyes. "Sure, Stan. We'll be there."

He suddenly perked up. "Great! Will and I thought we'd all go grab a bite at the Thai place a few blocks away from the stadium. You know, the one with the really good drunken noodles?" They nodded so he continued, "Parking is going to be a mess so we thought we'd meet at the Navy Yard and carpool."

"Good." Gibbs drained the rest of the piping hot drink, "Now, where're my leads on the Sullivan case?"

* * *

"Stan, it's freezing!"

"Stop whining, Shep! We'll be there in ten minutes max. You have the tickets, Decker?"

Will rolled his eyes. "For the five thousandth time, Stan; yes, I have the tickets."

Gibbs turned to the redhead. "Why didn't ya bring a coat, Jen?"

She was dressed in a simple red, turtleneck sweater and jeans; arms crossed over her chest, teeth quietly chattering, and her shoulders hunched forward. "News said the temperature wasn't supposed to drop until tomorrow. Didn't think it'd get this cold with how unusually warm it's been lately."

He took off his tan Carhart and slung it around her shoulders. She tried to shrug it off. "Gibbs, I'm okay."

"Yeah? Well everything else points to the contrary."

"But then you'll freeze."

"'M fine. We'll be there shortly."

He wasn't removing his hands from her shoulders so she begrudgingly slipped her arms through the sleeves. The heavy jacket practically swallowed her, but it was warm. She had no idea how he was going to fight the chill, his dark green sweater not offering much protection against the cold, but he didn't seem to mind. She whispered a quiet 'thank you' to which he just gave her a small nod.

"Awww… look at that! Probie's blushing!"

"Shut up, Burley! It's cold!"

Gibbs slapped the back of his head, "quit tormenting 'er."

Decker smirked. "Feeling a little protective, Gibbs?"

He glared at the agent but didn't say anything. Luckily, the subject was quickly dropped by Burley's excited squealing as they neared the arena. Both Will and Stan were dressed in full fan gear: Decker in a custom blue and white Capitals jersey and Burley wearing a red and gold Panthers jersey, the name 'Mellanby' stitched across the back. Neither seemed to care that they were behaving like teenage girls at an _NSYNC _concert.

The group made their way past the ticket line, through the snack bar, and up to their seats. The tickets from the radio station had them seated relatively close to the rink and the two fanatics couldn't be more thrilled. Will practically inhaled his soda as Gibbs sat next to him, his elbows resting on his knees as he leaned forward to set down his jacket that Jenny had returned to him once they walked inside. The redhead sat on his left, silently munching on a bag of popcorn, with Stan sitting next to her, bouncing in his seat. The stands were packed with both Capitals and Panthers fans which only heightened the excitement.

"Ever been to a hockey game, Shep?" Stan yelled over the noise.

Jenny shook her head. "Nope," she tried to speak around the popcorn she had just thrown in her mouth, "but you won't convince me to root for the Panthers, Stan."

He looked at her in mock offense. "I wouldn't dream of it!"

She smirked and he nudged his shoulder against hers. "How about we make a bet?"

"I'm listening…"

"If the Panthers win, you have to do my paperwork for a month." He grinned.

"Interesting. And if the Capitals win?"

"Name your price."

The look of mischief in her eyes caused him to gulp. "You have to carry me back to the car and bring me coffee for the next three weeks."

"Ha! Fine, Shepard." He stuck his hand out for her to shake. "You got yourself a deal."

She gripped the outstretched hand firmly, almost painfully. "Deal."

Gibbs looked at them and raised an eyebrow. "Should I be worried?"

Jenny just smiled sweetly. "No, Gibbs. Just a friendly bet between coworkers. Nothing to worry your pretty little head over."

He rolled his eyes and stole some of her popcorn.

"Hey Boss, who do you hope wins?"

Gibbs' turned to Decker and shrugged. "Caps, I guess."

Stan heard this and managed a look of hurt. "Ah, come on, Boss! I thought you'd side with me on this one!"

"And why would I want the Panthers to win? You're the one who's from Florida."

"Ugh… fine." He turned away dramatically and started to hum.

"_All By Myself_, Stan?"

"I'm wounded Shep; let me lick my wounds in peace."

Will grinned at his colleague. "I never pegged you for a Celine Dion fan, Burley."

"She's a smoking hot babe with the voice of an angel. Why would I not be a fan?"

Suddenly, the crowd erupted in cheers as the players skated onto the ice. Burley wrapped an arm around the redhead and jostled her enough to spill some of her popcorn. She shot him a glare.

"Ah lighten up, Red! If we're lucky, the popcorn won't be the only thing spilled!"

* * *

As it turns out, Jenny actually enjoyed the game. She was highly competitive and, even though she didn't particularly care for the sport, having the rival team's number one fan sitting next to her while the game was tied proved to be extremely entertaining; especially when they were able to get Decker to partake in their playful insults. Gibbs sat between them not saying much, however, he would occasionally smirk if there was a particularly clever comeback from one of his teammates. The only part of the game that was, well, uncomfortable was that the man sitting in front of her kept turning in his seat to just stare at her. It's not like she wasn't used to getting attention from the opposite sex, but his gaze was unsettling. Gibbs seemed to notice her unease and quietly asked her if she was okay.

"I'm fine. Don't worry."

He nodded slightly but continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye.

The guy turned around once more; his dark, red-rimmed eyes looked over her figure hungrily as he ran a hand through his slicked back blonde hair. She felt Gibbs stiffen next to her and Burley become more alert, even if his posture didn't change much. Decker still seemed enthralled with the game.

"Hey sweetheart, how about I buy you a drink?"

Jenny stared at him in bewilderment. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, I'm talking to you, Long Legs. How about you and me go for a drink? Then maybe later I can see what those legs can do."

"Probably kick your ass."

She heard Gibbs mumble and smiled slightly. He didn't seem to hear him and continued to speak, staring at her chest, "If the Caps can get lucky tonight, then maybe you can too, babe."

He was clearly a bit intoxicated and she scoffed. "I think I'll pass."

"You don't know what you're missing, hon. I have a whole night of fun planned for us! You just gotta loosen up a bit." The corners of his lips turned up in a smug smirk. "Something I'd be more than happy to help you with."

She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders. "She said she wasn't interested."

Burley glared at the man and his arm tightened around her. The man laughed. "And who the hell are you? Her boyfriend?"

"No, I'm her brother," Jenny looked at him in mild shock. "and I don't appreciate the way you're talking to her."

The man smirked at him, "Oh and I suppose you're going to beat me up for asking her out?"

"Me? Nah." He grinned at him. "But her husband sitting next to her, on the other hand, is a Marine. He'll kill you first."

Gibbs placed his hand on her knee and squeezed slightly, continuing to glare at the man in front of him. Jenny was too stunned to say anything.

"Oh, and you see the guy sitting next to him? He's her brother too. He seems nice until you piss him off. And our little sister getting harassed definitely pisses him off. After her husband kills you, Will and I will revive you and then kill you again. Got it?"

The man stared warily at the three men before he snorted and turned his attention back to her. "You aren't worth my time anyway, slut."

Gibbs stood up but before he could throw the first punch, Jenny managed to dump the rest of her popcorn and soda on the man's head; completely drenching him in his seat. "What Stan forgot to mention is that before you have to deal with any of them," she jerked her thumb back to the three agents who stood there in shock, "you have to deal with me."

And with that, she stormed off as Capitals fans burst into excited cheers as the final point was scored in overtime.

The rest of the team quickly followed after her, not without glaring at the man that still sat gobsmacked in his seat.

They were silent until they reached the cool night air just outside of the stadium.

"I hope that didn't ruin the night for you guys."

"Are you kidding?" Will looked at her incredulously. "That was awesome! He totally didn't see it coming. Plus, the Caps won so I'm happy all around!"

Stan groaned.

Gibbs glanced over at him. "Upset the Panthers lost?"

"Well yeah, but not for the reasons you think."

Jenny smirked and pulled Gibbs' jacket tighter around her. He'd thrown it on her as soon as they stepped outside.

"I guess this means you win, Red. What kind of coffee again?"

"Jamaican. Black with a splash of cream."

"Fine." He turned his back to her. "Hop on."

She took a run at him and jumped onto his back. He quickly looped his arms under her legs to hold her steady as her arms came to wrap around his neck.

Will laughed and Gibbs looked completely confused. Stan rushed to explain. "Had bet. She won." He turned his head slightly to look at her. "You need to start putting on weight, Shep. How're you supposed to take down a perp if all you eat is rabbit food?"

"I'll take that as a compliment." She licked her little finger and stuck it in his ear, laughing.

He batted her hand away. "Don't make me drop you, woman."

"You wouldn't dare."

They made their way through the crowded streets and Jenny turned slightly to see Gibbs and Decker deep in conversation. When she saw that they were distracted, she dropped her voice to a whisper.

"I could've handled him, you know. I didn't need you guys to stick up for me."

"I know, Red."

"So why didn't you let me take care of it? I'm not helpless."

He smiled. "Oh I'm very aware of that."

Her brow furrowed in confusion.

"We're a family; we look out for each other." He gave her a pointed look. "Whether you like it or not."

She grinned. "Pretty dysfunctional family then."

Stan snorted in agreement. "Yeah, but we wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

**A/N: Okay so longest chapter yet... hooray? Loosely inspired by my coworkers and their love of the sport (that they won't stop talking about). Also, last note recommended S1E3 of Picket Fences. That was wrong: ****definitely S1E2 (finger slipped on the keyboard... my bad). Anyway, hope you enjoyed!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Kids**

* * *

"Federal Agents! We have a warrant for the arrest of Staff Sergeant Craig Daniels!"

Her partner's gaze met hers and she nodded slightly. His tactical boot kicked in the door and both agents entered the house; guns drawn and eyes searching.

"Living room is clear!"

"Kitchen clear!"

"Study is also clear."

Stan and Will emerged from the back of the house. "We checked the garage. His car's gone."

A small cry was emitted from somewhere down the hall and Jenny sprinted off towards the sound.

"Jen! We haven't checked those rooms yet!"

She entered the bedroom at the end of the hall and slowly opened the door, her gun still held firmly in her hand and her finger on the trigger. What she saw was something she hadn't expected to find. A child, no more than a couple of months old, lay screaming in a pale blue bassinet. Other than the infant, the room appeared to be empty and Jenny quickly holstered her weapon as she heard the thundering footsteps of her boss behind her.

He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around, "What the hell, Shepard? Are you looking to get yourself killed?"

She met his glare with one of her own. "I heard what sounded like someone in distress, which I was right about, and counted on my team to have my back, which you did."

Gibbs ran a hand over his face just as Decker and Burley entered the room. Jenny turned back to the wailing infant and picked him up tentatively, holding him to her shoulder and rubbing his back. The cries slowly turned into pitiful whimpers as the redhead continued to shush him quietly.

Stan gaped at the younger agent in shock. "Wow, Shep! How'd you do that?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's not exactly rocket science, Burley."

"Do we have a name for 'im?"

"Tyler Daniels." Decker spoke up from the doorway. "Craig Daniels' son."

"SOB murders his wife and leaves his child to starve." Gibbs muttered under his breath with ill concealed fury.

"So what do we do?"

"Child services is short-staffed as in is. I doubt we'll be able to reach anyone at this time of night."

"Well we can't exactly let him stay in the bullpen."

"He can stay with me."

The three male agents turned to look at their female counterpart, eyes wide and jaws slacked.

"You, Shepard? Really? Do you know how to even take care of a kid?"

She shot a glare at Decker and Gibbs' hand promptly collided with the back of his skull.

"What I meant to say was, are you sure you want to do that?"

The infant had fallen asleep against her shoulder, his small palm resting against her throat. She smiled slightly. "Yes. He'll be safe. I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle until we find a relative to take him."

Gibbs gave a quick nod. "Decker, Burley: gather the car seat, bassinet, diaper bag, formula, and anything else she'll need for a couple of days."

"Yes, Boss."

"Got it, Boss."

While they were gathering supplies, Gibbs gently took Jenny's elbow and led her to the living room. "You know what you're doing, Jen?"

"Honestly," she looked uncertain for a moment, "I have no idea." She shrugged the shoulder that wasn't occupied by the small bundle, "just seemed like the right thing to do."

"If you're sur-"

"I am."

He gave a slight grin. "Okay then."

Walking out of the house, Gibbs turned to his team. "Decker and I will go back to the office and track down leads. Burley,"

"No."

"- you'll go with Shepard-"

"GIBBS!"

"-and help her keep an eye on 'im."

She stared at him in horror. "I said I'd watch one kid, not two!"

"HEY I'M NOT THAT BAD!"

She elbowed him in the ribs. "Hush! You'll wake him up!"

"Both of you deal with it." Gibbs smirked at the glowering pair. Decker's laughter certainly wasn't helping.

"Fine. We're staying at my place."

"WHAT?!"

* * *

"Geeze, Red. You'd think a woman your age would have better taste in decor."

"It was my father's house and my grandfather's before that." She raised one challenging eyebrow. "Do you have anything else insulting to say about my home?"

"Nope, I'm good. Love the dark colors, by the way. Very old and ominous."

She let out a huff before plastering a smile on her face. "Oh Stan…"

He let out a grunt of acknowledgement, the upper half of his body submerged in the refrigerator.

"Would you be a dear and grab his things?" Her voice was sickly sweet. "The living room is a good place for all of it."

"But I haven't eaten since lunch!"

"Wasn't a request."

He gave a childish moan of disapproval but complied nonetheless.

Jenny went upstairs to her bedroom to change into something more comfortable. She laid the little boy down on her bed just as he started to stir from the long car ride. His green eyes blinked awake and his little hands opened and closed groggily. She quickly changed into a pair of sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt, throwing her hair up in a messy ponytail. She sat on the edge of the bed, picked Tyler up, and cradled him against her. "Hello, sweet boy." She ran a finger across one of his soft cheeks and smiled when he tried to grab it and put it in his mouth. When she took it out of his reach, he whimpered and began to cry.

"Shhh… shhh.. It's okay." She pulled him closer to her and placed him against her shoulder, his small fingers loosely gripping her shirt. "You're okay."

His cries didn't quiet.

Jenny leaned down and smelt his diaper. "Oh yikes," her nose scrunched up in disgust, "I'd be crying too. Let's go see if we can clean you up, hmm?"

She walked carefully down the stairs just as Burley finished bringing in the rest of the baby supplies.

"Where's his changing mat?"

"Stinky diaper?"

"You guessed it."

"Want me to change him?"

"You're offering?"

He smiled confidently. "I used to babysit my nieces when they were little. I've changed my fair share of diapers."

She handed the crying boy over to her teammate's waiting arms and gave him a relieved smile. "Thanks. I'll heat up a bottle for him."

He placed the changing mat on the kitchen table. "You know what you're doing, Shep?"

"It's just mixing formula with water and heating it just enough that it's warm." She grinned nervously. "It can't be that hard, right?"

"Suuuuuuure… whatever you say."

Burley gently laid the infant on the changing table and began to undo his diaper. "Oh crap!"

"Literally or figuratively?" Jenny asked, continuing to mix the formula without turning around.

When she didn't receive a response, she glanced behind her to see the other agent holding the diaper over the child again, the front of his shirt and face dripping it what she assumed to be urine. She couldn't help it, she doubled over in laughter and crumpled to the floor, leaving the formula on the counter as tears of mirth crept out of the corners of her eyes. At the sound of her laughter, the baby began to giggle too, waving his arms above his head enthusiastically.

"It's not funny." He mumbled petulantly.

Jenny stood and gripped the counter for support. "Oh it's very funny." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Gosh, I wish I had my camera."

"Well thank goodness for small miracles."

Stan finished changing the boy without further incident and passed him off to Jenny to feed. "Your problem now."

"Gladly."

She cradled him against her shoulder and sat down on the soft leather couch; her back against the armrest and her legs propped up in front of her. She leaned Tyler against her legs and held the bottle against his lips. "Come on, sweetheart. Just finish your dinner and then I'll burp you and we'll go to bed."

The infant took the bottle easily; placing his hands on either side and greedily drinking the milk. Jenny laughed lightly. "You were hungry, weren't you?"

She began softly humming the melody of an old lullaby as he continued to drink from the bottle and his eyes began to droop.

"You're a natural with him."

She looked up at Stan as he appeared in the doorway, one eyebrow raised in question.

He threw himself into the armchair next to her and rested his elbows on his knees, staring at her with a wry smile. "You ever think of having kids, Red?"

Her eyes refused to meet his, her gaze set on the little boy in her arms who was quickly losing his battle with sleep. "I used to." Her voice had dropped to a whisper.

"What changed?"

She remained quiet for a few moments. "I did, I suppose." One of her fingers ran across the child's soft cheek and she smiled sadly. "Once upon a time, I would've wanted nothing more than to have a houseful of kids, a loving husband, a beautiful home with a white picket fence, and a dog."

"What happened?"

She offered a weak smile, her eyes slightly watery. "Life happened, Stan."

Jenny cleared her throat and set the bottle next to the couch, Tyler having fallen asleep almost immediately after finishing his meal. She placed the burping towel against her shoulder, laid him on it, and gently rubbed his back until she heard bubbles. "So what about you? Do you think you'll ever have kids?"

He reclined in the armchair, lacing his fingers behind his head and stretching his legs out in front of him. "Gotta find the right woman first. Until then," he grinned, "it's the marvelous life of a bachelor for me."

"You'll find her."

He smiled at her. "Thanks for the confidence, Shep."

"You just have to find someone who'll put up with your petulance."

"And just like that, my pride has taken a hit." He laughed and she smirked. She walked over to where Burley had set up the bassinet, gently placing the sleeping infant inside. She pressed a kiss to her fingers before placing them on his forehead, tenderly stroking the soft tuft of hair on the baby's head.

"You'd be a great mother."

She smiled.

"And Gibbs woul-"

She turned and whacked the back of his head before he could finish his sentence. He slapped her hand away playfully, laughing at the indignant look on her face.

"You're not going to drop this whole ridiculous idea, are you?"

"Never."

"He's not interested, Stan."

"Oh but you are?"

"Of course not!"

He threw an arm around her shoulders and ruffled her hair. "Me thinks the lady doth protest too much."

"I am not!"

Burley covered her mouth with is hand. "Shhhh… you want to wake him up?"

She glared and licked his hand. He quickly retracted his arms and pushed her onto the couch as she laughed.

"I amend my earlier statement; you are definitely no lady."

* * *

Someone was watching her. She was sure of it. Tyler's gentle breathing came in soft puffs against her neck and she kept a steady hand on his back as he lay sleeping on her chest. He'd woken up sometime around midnight, screaming his little lungs out. Stan had tried to calm him down but nothing was working. He'd given up trying to get the child to go to sleep and grabbed the earmuffs that he used at the shooting range. He was now snoring quietly in the chair across from her, earmuffs firmly in place, and practically laying upside down.

If Tyler and Burley were both asleep then who…

"Didn't mean to wake you, Jen."

She blearily looked up from her position on the couch. "Jethro? How'd you get into my house?"

He walked towards her, his shoes completely silent against the hardwood floor. "Spare key under the doormat."

She nodded slightly. "Didn't think we'd survive?"

"Nah," he gave her a lopsided grin, "knew _you'd_ survive. I was worried you were gonna kill Burley."

Jenny laughed quietly and the infant began to stir on her chest. She immediately started rubbing soothing circles on his back and he quickly fell back asleep. "What time is it?"

"Just about 0400."

"Where's Decker?"

He bent down next to her and sat on his heels. "Sent him home after we interrogated the scumbag."

Her eyes widened. "You got him?"

"Found him trying to get the blood out of his car."

She cringed but continued to softly rub the boy's back. "Why'd he do it?"

His eyes hardened and his lips thinned in rage. "Said he'd met someone else. Didn't want to be married and didn't want to be a father."

Jenny held the little boy closer to her chest and kissed the top of his head. "He didn't deserve you, sweet boy."

Her eyes filled with tears but she wouldn't let them fall. Not right now anyway.

"Decker found a next of kin," Gibbs words were nothing more than a whisper, "Susan Daniels' sister, Phoebe McNeal. We called her and she said she'd be at the Navy Yard around 0900 to pick him up. She and her husband will start the adoption process as soon as they can."

"Good."

Gibbs laid a gentle hand on the boy's head and smiled. "He seems to have taken to you."

"Yeah, well, he relieved himself all over Burley so he must like me better."

His grin widened and he laughed quietly.

Both sat there in comfortable silence for a few moments, simply staring at the quietly snoring infant. Jenny looked up, her green eyes meeting his blue. "I have a guest bedroom if you'd rather stay here tonight."

He stood up and brushed invisible dirt from his pants. "It's alright, boat needs to be worked on."

"Got a lot on your mind?"

He smirked. "Something like that."

She sat up slowly and cradled the baby close to her before placing him in the bassinet. He didn't stir and for that she was grateful. "I'll see you out."

"No need. Get some rest, Jen."

She smiled sleepily. "Yes, _Boss_."

He rolled his eyes at the tease but left without another word.

She continued to watch the little boy as he slept, a serene smile resting on her lips. At this point, it wasn't even worth trying to fall back asleep.

* * *

They'd arrived in the bullpen by 0845.

"Why couldn't we have stopped for donuts?"

"For the millionth time, Burley; we were already running late because of you!"

"Not my fault the kid threw up on my only clean shirt!"

Tyler gurgled happily in his stroller.

"True," she grinned sweetly, "but this happened _after_ you'd woken up 15 minutes late."

Stan rolled his eyes and flopped dramatically into is desk chair. Jenny sat cross-legged on the ground in front of the stroller next to her desk and began making silly faces at the baby. She tickled his stomach and the little boy burst into squeals of laughter.

"Nice of you two to finally show up." Gibbs strolled into the bullpen, his ever-present cup of Jamacian blend in hand.

"Blame him."

The senior agent just smirked.

"Decker not in?"

"Gave him the morning off."

Burley kicked his feet up on the desk and grinned widely. "Slacker."

Suddenly, the elevator opened with a small _ding_ and a tall, thin blonde-haired woman stepped out with a shorter, dark-haired man sporting a large beard behind her. "I was told I'd find Special Agent Gibbs here?" Her voice was laced with tears and the man, presumably her husband, took her hand. "I'm here for my nephew, Tyler Daniels."

The room was transformed from mirth to sorrow. Jenny unstrapped the infant from his seat and held him close to her chest, quietly standing and walking towards the grieving couple. He gave her a gummy grin and she smiled sadly at him. "See you later, sweet boy."

She hugged the baby to her one last time before passing him to the woman. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

The taller woman held him tightly, tears pouring from her eyes, and managed a small smile. "Thank you."

The man's lips quirked upwards, his eyes looking just as watery, and gently caressed the boy's head.

Gibbs stepped up behind the redhead and squeezed her shoulders. She continued to stare at the scene in front of her, unblinking. "Custody papers are in the conference room. You can gather his things once you've finished signing them."

He silently led the couple upstairs, giving his partner a look of concern as he passed her.

Jenny stood rooted in the middle of the bullpen, arms wrapped tightly around her waist, and a faraway look in her eyes. Stan came up and threw an arm loosely around her shoulders. She didn't seem to notice. "You okay, Red?"

She nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, I just, um…"

"It's okay to miss him."

She took a deep breath. "It's not that I miss him exactly."

"Then what?"

"Maybe I miss the idea of him? I don't know, doesn't make much sense."

He gave her a lopsided smile. "Sure, it does. You could still have one, you know. It's not too late."

"But that's just it, Stan." She reached up and removed his arm. "It already is."

* * *

**A/N: I am so incredibly sorry it's taken me this long to update. I've changed jobs and moved since the last posting and things have been crazy ever since, but I found some time to edit this one. This chapter was sort of bittersweet but maybe the next one will make up for it (I plan to post it sometime later this week... hopefully). Anyway, thanks for reading! And to anyone who's left a review - Thank you! Your comments make my day :)**


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Naps**

* * *

Days like these made Jethro Gibbs question humanity. Well, more so than usual. They'd been stuck at the office for just over three days running on coffee and, in Burley's case, overly caffeinated energy drinks and sour gummy candies. Tuesday had been relatively normal: no active cases so the team had stuck to cold cases and were prepared to leave by 1700. Just as they were putting on their coats, a call came in. A twelve-year-old girl hadn't made it home from school and her father, a Navy Lieutenant, found her bike on the side of the road in a mangled heap. It took them three days, but they found her; luckily unharmed other than a few scratches and bruises that Ducky took care of while telling the girl a few of his more… extravagant tales. The girl didn't know who'd taken her, only that they'd said they wouldn't hurt if she stayed quiet. There'd been a partial bloody thumbprint on the sink in the old warehouse they'd found her in. Their perp had a nose bleed. Now, they were just waiting for the fingerprint and DNA results.

He walked from the elevator and was relieved to see an empty bullpen. Maybe, just maybe, he could catch a few minutes of sleep at his desk. Wouldn't be the first time.

The rolling chair seemed far more comfortable than usual, or maybe he was just that tired that even a concrete floor would've felt comfortable. He started to extend his legs to recline when he felt a set of sharp claws grab his calf over his jeans, just above the ankle of his boot.

He rolled his chair backwards and glared at the thing that dared attack him while he was attempting to relax.

That _thing _was apparently his red headed, green eyed partner glaring back at him.

"Jen, what the hell?!"

"Shhhh!"

Gibbs glared but lowered his voice. "Why'd you scratch me?"

"Because you almost kicked me!"

"I was trying to sit at my desk!" His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why're you under my desk?"

Jenny grinned wickedly. "Why are you so uncomfortable with me being under your desk?"

He said nothing but his blue eyes flicked over her figure before he raised one eyebrow challengingly, his lips slightly quirked upwards. "Kinky."

She tried to keep a straight face but eventually snorted her laughter. His grin just widened.

"In all honesty, I figured this was the last place Will or Burley would look for me. They wouldn't go near your desk for fear of getting a concussion."

"And you think I won't give you one?"

"Nope," she said popping the 'p', "for one, I just solved our ca-"

"Not yet. Fingerprint results aren't in."

"You know I'm right." She smirked. "And two, I'm a woman. If you decided to lay a hand on me, it wouldn't be to hurt me."

He opened his mouth to speak but she continued over him. "And three," she brought her legs up and crossed them at the ankles, counting on her fingers, "I'm exhausted because we've been here for three days straight and any time I accidentally fall asleep, Burley or Decker find a way to rudely wake me up. This results in potential blood stains appearing on the carpet that I really don't think you want to have to explain to HR."

He stared at her for a minute, watching as she tucked loose strands of hair behind her ears. There were dark circles under her eyes that contrasted sharply with her paler than normal complexion and her shoulders were slumped over in fatigue. Or maybe that was because she was still making herself as small as possible under his desk. Either way, he knew she was dead on her feet.

"Why not go home for an hour of shut eye and then come back?"

She shook her head vehemently. He leaned forward in his chair and placed a hand on her knee. She smiled slightly and poked his thumb. "Told you it wouldn't be to hurt me."

"Jenny," his voice was soft, "what's goin' on?"

She groaned and rubbed her face quickly before running a hand through her hair. "I got a call from one of my neighbors yesterday. There was an electrical fire in the kitchen and now my house reeks of smoke and burnt drywall."

"Why didn't you take a couple days of leave?"

"This case involved a child, Gibbs. I wasn't going to just stop what I was doing. Besides, I met with the fire department on my lunch break; they were able to put it out before it got bad, but I still need to do repairs."

"I'll help."

"Thank you." She offered him a small grin and rested her chin on her knees, ignoring the fact that his hand was still there. "I just don't want to deal with it right now. Plus, the fingerprint results will be in soon and Will owes me fifty bucks when he finds out I'm right."

He nodded tightly. "Well, I just came from autopsy and Deck's out like a light on one of the tables. Stan's probably hiding out in the break room..."

"So can I stay here or are you going to kick me over to my desk so I can be all by my lonesome to fend for myself?"

Gibbs didn't say anything; just swung his long black pea coat off the back of his chair and threw it at her before swinging his legs to the other side of his desk, making sure she still had plenty of room. She smirked triumphantly and curled up under the heavy material, her body completely swallowed by the fabric with only a few of her crimson tresses peaking over the top.

"Night." Her voice was muffled by the makeshift blanket and he merely grunted a reply.

He leaned back in his chair and proceeded to close his eyes, finally letting himself relax.

"GIBBS!"

Crap.

He opened one eye with a scowl. Burley apparently didn't know it was impolite to wake someone when they were clearly trying to sleep.

"You seen Shepard!?"

His scowl darkened. "No. Why?"

"She put super glue on my keyboard! I've spent the last four hours in the head ripping it off!"

The small form under his desk shook slightly in what he assumed was silent laughter.

Gibbs examined the poor agents fingers; bright red and raw. "Go see, Ducky."

"But Gib-"

"Next time, let her sleep."

"How did yo-"

He glared.

"Right… you're Gibbs… nothing gets past you…"

A small smirk played on his lips. "To autopsy, Stan."

The man turned on his heel and marched to the elevators. Just before he walked through the metal doors, however…

"And give Deck a good wake up call!"

The doors shut on Burley's look of shock.

He looked down and saw that Jenny had already fallen asleep; her small form rising and falling in steady breaths. He put his hands behind his head and leaned back, kicking his feet out before him away from the sleeping redhead.

Finally, peace and quiet.

* * *

**A/N: So I looked at my schedule and realized that this was probably the only time I'd get to edit this week. *cringes* This chapter was significantly shorter but I felt like there was more Jibbs (which the final two chapters should hopefully expand on). To answer your question, his-red-head, there won't be a part 2 to chapter 9 in this series of one shots, however, I might continue it in another story later on!  
****Thanks for all the reviews, they really mean a lot :) ****Hope y'all enjoyed!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Elevators**

* * *

"Conference room. Now."

"Fine!"

Gibbs stormed off to the elevator with Jenny on his heels. They stood in front of the steel metal doors, waiting for them to open, and she tapped her foot impatiently. A huff of annoyance passed through his lips. He glanced to his right and saw that the redhead appeared to be just as pissed off as he was. The elevator still hadn't opened. _What the hell is taking so long?_

Finally the doors opened and Jenny stormed into the elevator, him right behind her. The doors shut slowly and he immediately slapped the emergency stop switch; the elevator coming to a screeching halt and the room plunging into semi-darkness. Jenny stood to one side with her arms tightly crossed and a dark scowl on her face while he leaned back against the other wall, his hands braced on either side of him on the railing. She wasn't speaking so he took the chance to study her a little more closely. Though her arms were crossed, one of her hands was pressed against her ribs. _Probably bruised._ He also noticed that she was leaning slightly to her right, keeping her weight off of her left knee. _She'd taken a blow there._ Then there was the cut above her eye, the bruised nose, and the split lip. _How did she manage to consistently get herself in these situations._

It wasn't like he had made it out clean either. His right shoulder was throbbing and probably purple by now from the fall he took. _Tackling her to avoid both of us getting killed, _he mentally corrected.

By now, he knows what types of cases make his partner tick: suicides, children, and treason. But this case wasn't any of those, well, not exactly.

_There was a call of a Navy Lieutenant found lying in her kitchen with multiple stab wounds. The husband was completely distraught; his hands covered in her blood from trying to suppress the flow of red from her abdomen. Gibbs had to forcibly restrain the man as Ducky looked over the body and placed her on the gurney. He'd taken the man to headquarters for an interview. He didn't know much other than his wife had come across a plot to sabotage an aircraft carrier, but refused to tell him anymore in case he was targeted. He said that the last place she'd been was an abandoned house on the outskirts of Fairfax, Virginia. He, Shepard, and Decker had gone to the house where'd they'd come across one of their suspects. Decker had gone through the back door and found multiple plans to sabotage the communications system in the carrier they were scheduled to board in the next two weeks. He and Jenny had kept the guy talking when Decker had yelled that the house was rigged to blow at any second. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, their suspect had confessed to the Lieutenant's murder and bolted towards the front door. _

_Jenny had gone after him, tackling him to the ground, however, he'd managed to elbow her in the face and continue his sprint into the house. She'd gotten up and continued to chase him and he'd had to go after her. _

"_JEN, DON'T!"_

_Just as she had gotten about ten yards away from the front door, he heard the tell-tale beeping of a timer, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her to the ground. He'd tried to cover her, but a piece of rubble had managed to hit her right above her eye. Nevermind the fallen debris on his back. They stayed like until Decker gave the all clear. When he'd braced himself on his elbows to make sure she was okay, her eyes were still tightly closed and her body was rigid. He wiped the blood that had started to trickle down her forehead with his thumb. She finally opened her eyes and, surprisingly, glared at him. _

"_Get off of me."_

_He quickly got off of her but his eyes narrowed as he brushed the dirt off of his clothes. "Wouldn't have had to be on you if you'd just listened!"_

_She stood up, her teeth grit tightly and stalked past him. _

"_This conversation isn't finished, Shepard!"_

"_Screw you!"_

_The ride back to headquarters had been, well, awkward to say the least. Jenny had chosen to ride in the backseat, as opposed her normal call for riding shotgun, and continued to brood; staring out the window with a scowl on her face. He kept trying to make eye contact with her through the rearview mirror but it was no use. Decker sat in the front passenger seat, rattling off everything he managed to find in the house before it'd been blown to smithereens. Luckily, he hadn't been injured in the blast and had seen a list of names of all those involved. _

_When they'd gotten back, he'd sent Decker and Burley to pick up their next suspect from his gym in Anacostia. As soon as they were gone, he'd tried to talk to Jenny but she'd remained silent and refused to look at him. He was getting more and more pissed off with the way she was acting. Sure, she'd been angry before, but usually she wasn't angry without a good reason. _

_Why was she angry now? _

He was brought back to the present by her huff of annoyance. His eyes narrowed. "What's bugging you, Jen?"

She stared angrily at her feet but remained silent.

Time for a new tactic.

He pushed himself off the wall of the elevator and cornered her, his hands gripped the railing on either side of her.

"Come any closer and I'll castrate you, Gibbs."

He couldn't help but smirk.

"Nah, don't think so."

She stayed quiet.

His voice dropped to a whisper. "Why're you so pissed off, Jenny?"

"I could've gotten him."

"Sure, and gotten yourself killed in the process."

"You don't know that!"

"Yes, I do!"

Their voices had started to rise and he was grateful that they'd decided to take this conversation to the elevator.

"Had you been any closer, you'd be dead!"

"I can take care of myself!"

"No, you can't!"

"So that's what this is?! You think I need you to come to my rescue?! I'm not some damsel in distress!"

She was practically shaking with rage.

"I never said you were, but what you did today was senseless!"

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO PROTECT ME!"

He moved closer to her, his forehead pressed against hers and forcing her to look at him. He saw her anger, but he also saw fear. He lowered his voice once more. "You're my partner, Jen. Like it or not, I'll always have your six."

"I thought I had him."

"I know."

She released an exhausted sigh and her breath washed over him. He didn't want to move. Her head moved from his and rested it on his shoulder instead. She uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on his chest. One of his hands cradled her head and the other came to wrap around her waist, careful to avoid touching her bruised ribs and messing up her ponytail.

"I'm sorry."

"Sign of weakness."

She looked up at him. "I don't think so. It takes strength to apologize."

"Fine."

She smirked. "How about we add another rule?"

He raised an eyebrow. "And that would be?"

She smiled. "Sometimes you're wrong."

His lips quirked upwards. "I'll add it to the list then."

She seemed to realize where her hands were and dropped them to her sides; a light blush rising to her cheeks. He didn't move away.

"Um, Jethro? You can let go of me now."

He pulled away slowly and rubbed the back of his neck, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Should we head back to the bullpen?"

"They might get the wrong idea if we don't show up soon."

He flicked the emergency stop switch.

Nothing happened.

"What the hell?"

He tried the switch again. Still nothing.

"Don't tell me you got us stuck in here!"

"We're stuck in here."

She gave a groan of frustration and slid down to the floor. "Now what do we do?"

He sat down too, his shoulder brushing hers and a boyish smirk on his face. "Well, it is dark in here… no security cameras… we could alwa-"

Her hand covered his mouth. "Not on your life."

His eyes danced with amusement.

"Now," she smiled sweetly, "shut up."

* * *

**A/N: Another short chapter... *heavy sigh* but I figured I had some time to edit so here ya go! There'll only be one more chapter after this, however, I might do a few oneshots that are tagged to these, but nothing is in the works as of this second. Hope y'all enjoyed! I love reading all of your reviews :) One more chapter to go!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Chances**

* * *

She wasn't sure why she was here.

Jenny Shepard stood in front of her partner's house and all of the lights appeared to be turned off.

But she knew he wasn't asleep.

She wasn't willing to admit it, but she was unbelievably nervous. It wasn't like she and Gibbs hadn't been alone before, in fact, they'd been alone several times in the past two and a half years. However, most of the time, they met at her place for movie night or their time was spent at work.

This was different.

Marrow had called them, along with Decker, up to his office. The team was being split up. Burley was going to be stationed agent afloat on the USS Enterprise while the three of them were going to be running an undercover op in Europe. She didn't think she was ready, but Morrow had stated that she was, if her exemplary reports from her supervisor/partner were anything to go by. In that moment, she wasn't sure if she should thank Gibbs or strangle him.

The mission was deceivingly simple: surveillance, infiltration, and execution. All seemingly easy when spoken of but incredibly complex when put into practice. Illegal arms trafficking. Decker would be the go-between agent while she and Gibbs were to maintain their covers as arms dealers.

_Married _arms dealers.

Burley's dream and her nightmare. She'd developed, well… _feelings_ for her partner and this op? Pretending to be a couple? It might just force her into admitting said feelings.

She realized that she'd been standing there on his front porch for nearly fifteen minutes and hadn't moved a muscle.

"Come on, Jenny, get over yourself."

Her fingers traced the cool metal of the door handle before gripping it tightly and turning the knob. "Figures Jethro doesn't keep his door locked."

The house was cold, dark, and overall uninviting. She fisted the sleeves of her cardigan and pulled the soft material to herself tightly. A small stream of light could be seen at the back of the kitchen and she followed it like a moth to a flame.

When she reached the basement door, she lightly toed it open; trying to make as little noise as possible.

There he stood, sanding away at the hull of the boat he had yet to finish. One hand wrapped tightly around a sander while the other held what appeared to be a mason jar of bourbon. Sawdust filtered through the air and she couldn't help but inhale deeply.

And she wondered why she'd always found the scent that seemed to cling to him so comforting.

"What's on your mind, Jen?"

She'd been lost in thought and jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. Tired, gruff, and just a little low. She didn't answer him just yet, choosing instead to carefully walk down the rickety flight of stairs. He turned and stared at her, one arm crossed over the other, leaned back against one of the support beams, and took a swig of his drink.

She emptied a jar of nails and poured a healthy dose of the amber liquid for herself, but didn't drink it. The cup remained cradled to her chest and she focused on tracing its rim.

"Jenny?"

Now, he sounded concerned.

The redhead blew out a breath she'd been holding, her fringe flying up slightly, and braced her elbows on the workbench behind her. "This assignment," she hesitated, "why'd you pick me?"

"We needed a female agen-"

"No, Jethro." Her gaze snapped to his. "Why _me_?"

He paused and set his drink under the boat. "You're the only one I trust to have my back in the field."

Well, that wasn't exactly unexpected, but she was surprised that he's admit it so readily.

"I trust _you_."

She nodded slowly. They stood in comfortable silence for a few moments until he made a move to go back to sanding. "What if-"

Her outburst was louder than she had intended but he turned around, waiting patiently for her to speak. She drew in another breath. "What if they're right?"

"What if who's right?"

The mason jar in her hand was set forcefully on the counter. "Stan, Will, Ducky, Marrow, hell, maybe even the whole agency!"

He eyed her warily. "I'm not following you."

She scrubbed a hand over her face and began to pace across the concrete floor. "Everyone's been talking about us. Burley's been trying to get us together since the first day I showed up on the team! You have a, a thing! For redheads! I'm a redhead!" She couldn't seem to shut off the flood of words once she'd opened her mouth. "Everyone already assumed that we were sleeping with each other! Even your witch of an ex-wife! And then there's this, this mission! Undercover? Really? I can handle undercover, but pretending to be married to you? I just-"

"Is it really so bad to pretend to be married to me, Jen?"

She looked up at him and shook her head frantically. "No! Gosh no, it's just that… listen, pretending to be a couple when I already-" She gave a growl of frustration. "It makes things difficult."

He slowly started walking towards her. "How does it make things difficult?"

She ran a hand through her crimson waves. "You're my best friend, Jethro. I'd never want to risk losing our friendship over a stupid op because my feelings got involved." She looked down at her feet and mumbled. "I care too much about you for that."

"So you're afraid of taking a chance?"

Silence weighed heavily on both of them. Her fingers nervously picked at her sleeves, but she stilled them forcefully.

"I'm terrified."

Suddenly his face was directly in front of hers; one of his hands placed on the workbench and the other tenderly holding her chin.

She felt like she couldn't breathe.

His thumb lightly brushed her bottom lip and her breath hitched. "Jethro, what're you doing?"

He just stared at her for a moment as if searching for something before his voice dropped to a whisper. "Taking a chance."

He seemed to be waiting to see if she'd pull away, but her eyes fluttered closed and she leaned into his touch. He cupped her chin and leaned down to let his lips gently cover hers. Her hands came to rest lightly on his chest and she sighed, responding almost tentatively. The kiss ended as slowly as it began and they just stared at each other. Waiting.

She looked down and crossed her arms over her chest. His hand dropped from her face, but he didn't back away, placing it instead on the other side of her on the workbench. "We shouldn't've done that." His voice was nothing more than a hoarse whisper.

She cleared her throat slightly. "Probably right."

Her eyes met his hesitantly as he peered down at her. He was still so close. "Can we do it again?"

She'd never seen him look so uncertain, but it took her less than a second to respond. "Yes."

She brought his lips down to meet hers almost aggressively; her hands cupping his face as she pulled herself closer. His hands automatically came to rest on her hips. She felt his thumbs slip under the fabric of her oversized cardigan and tank top to stroke the smooth skin just above her high-waisted jeans and held back a moan. The workbench was pressing uncomfortably into her lower back and she cringed but the feeling of him against her was something she wasn't willing to give up just yet. He seemed to sense her discomfort and quickly lifted her up, swallowing her gasp of surprise, and placed her on the counter.

This kiss wasn't anything like the first. Where the first has been tender and hesitant, the second was hungry and passionate. Her fingers threaded through his dark hair as she tightly wrapped her legs around his waist, holding him close. One of his hands moved slowly from her left knee to her hip and back while the other gently held the back of her neck, keeping her mouth glued to his. Not that she particularly minded; this is something that she'd been hoping for for longer than she cared to admit.

The erratic buzzing of a pager caused them to break apart, both breathing heavily and eyes dilated. He pressed his forehead to her collarbone, his breath coming out in short puffs of warm air against her skin, as she rested her cheek against his hair. "'M sorry, Jen."

She knew he meant this couldn't happen again. They'd toed a fine line for a long time and tonight they'd finally crossed it. Now, everything was confusing, unpredictable, and complicated. She wasn't lying to him when she said he was her best friend and if she had to guess, she meant the same to him. But being friends was easier, and maybe that's what they needed to remain. She'd always be attracted to him, and he to her, but complicating their relationship, more than they already had, was something neither felt ready to risk.

She held his cheeks between her hands, her thumbs gently brushing the beginnings of stubble, before forcing him to lift his face to hers. She pressed a small, lingering kiss to his lips before placing another on his forehead and mumbling into his skin, "me too."

He pulled away and reached for the pager, squeezed her knee, and squinted at the small text. She slid off the bench and plucked it from his hands, shaking her head slightly. "We've got a case."

"We need to go."

She nodded distractedly and reached up to fix his messy hair. He gently placed his hand over hers and removed it, running his thumb over her knuckles, and letting it fall to her side. He straightened his hair himself and cleared his throat. "Jen…"

"It's okay, Jethro. At least we satisfied the curiosity, right?" She looked down and wrapped her arms around herself. She knew this couldn't continue, but she wouldn't have traded their moment for anything. It was real. The job would get in the way and soon enough they'd be able to act like a simple touch didn't set them on fire. But right now?

It was _real_.

There were no regrets as far as she was concerned, she only wished there was a way they would've been able to give themselves an honest shot. "That's all this was."

"And now that we know?"

She smiled sadly. "I'll see you at the scene."

Her tennis shoes made little noise as they crossed the concrete basement floor and crept up the creaky wooden stairs.

"Jenny?"

She paused.

"Are we okay?"

She couldn't look at him. "Yeah, we're okay."

And with that, she left him in the basement.

* * *

She sat in her car; her hands holding the steering wheel like a vice, eyes closed, and took a deep, steadying breath. There's no way this assignment in Europe was going to be easy now.

* * *

**A/N: Aaaaaaaand scene. That's the end (for now anyway). Thanks once again to ****_pockethuman_ once again for beta reading and Gibbs-slapping me when I needed it and to everyone who's reviewed, followed, and favorited. Also, a very special thanks to _his-red-head_, _Esquinzo_, and _Troubled-Angel-26 _for the constant encouragement! I couldn't've done without y'all! :)**

**I don't have anything more planned yet, but hopefully with this being finished, I'll have time to think of something else (maybe?). Hope y'all enjoyed!**


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